Inadequate

"But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that which I have vowed.  Salvation is of the LORD." - Jonah 2:9


I just had quick thought that I wanted to share before church this morning.  Have you really tried to grasp the reality of the statement "Salvation is of the Lord."  Prior to our salvation, it is God through the Holy Spirit, that convicts our hearts of our sin and need for Christ.  Then after salvation, it is the power of God that keeps us saved.  Any goodness that we have in us today is because of Jesus Christ and not because of anything in ourselves!  You and I cannot be the least bit spiritual except by the power of Christ.

Notice some things that Charles Spurgeon said concerning the extent of our inadequacies:

"If I am prayerful, God makes me prayerful; if I have graces, they are God’s gifts to me; if I hold on in a consistent life, it is because he upholds me with his hand. I do nothing whatever towards my own preservation, except what God himself first does in me."

"Whatever I have, all my goodness is of the Lord alone. Wherein I sin, that is my own; but wherein I act rightly, that is of God, wholly and completely."

"As a branch cannot bring forth fruit except it abide in the vine, no more can I, except I abide in him."

"What Jonah learned in the great deep, let me learn this morning in my closet: Salvation is of the Lord.”

During this past week, the Lord has been showing me how inadequate I am in my own power to do anything.  I must completely and utterly rely and depend on Christ for EVERYTHING!  Today, I want to challenge you to realize how inadequate you are to do anything for Christ on your own, and then completely and utterly depend on Him for EVERYTHING!


Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, please reveal to me how inadequate I am to serve and live for You in my own power.  Help me to completely and utterly depend on Christ for EVERYTHING in my life and service to You.  As You reveal my weakness, may I draw on the strength that is in Jesus Christ.  In Jesus name, Amen!